


Astray

by laidellennt



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altea AU, Altean Lance (Voltron), Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Prince Keith, Prince Lance - Freeform, alternate universe with altea, i dont know what im doing, idk how ratings work theres like minor cursing so, keith gets ARRESTED, kingdom of altea, lance realizes he's gay for him, oh boy, or my interpretation of it at least, you heard me right, zarkon is annoying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-09-25 06:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9806759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laidellennt/pseuds/laidellennt
Summary: Prince Keith visits Altea on a diplomatic meeting, and it should fly by like the rest usually do, but his father manages to mess everything up like he always does and Keith suddenly finds himself in a murky, dark Altean prison cell; much different than the bright cheeriness beyond the castle walls.He also finds himself talking to the Prince of Altea, which was an even more unexpected turn of events.He just kind of wants to go back to Shiro, though.





	1. Why Keith Can Never Have Nice Things

To say Keith hates diplomatic meetings is an understatement. There’s not a word in the Galran language to describe how much he dreads them. But, he supposes since he’s the prince _or whatever_ he does have an obligatory duty to attend them. Besides, Shiro makes them a little better.

 

But only a little, and he’s especially dreading this particular meeting because it’s with Altea and the stupid, bright, cheerful colors of the planet hurt his eyes and the stupid, bright, cheerful inhabitants hurt his ears. He much rather sit in the dark purple gloom of his room (Shiro had affectionately dubbed it “the cave”) than prance around in flowered fields beneath the sparkling sun as little Altean children serenade him with the ancient songs of their people. What is his father even thinking?

 

So yeah, Keith would much rather pass, but Zarkon would probably decapitate him and then he would have to watch from the afterlife as Shiro gives him the Disappointed Dad look for the rest of eternity.

 

Keith winces as Shiro ~~purposely~~ accidently stabs his side with a pin and shakes him from thought. He glares at his advisor and the man smiles sheepishly and smoothes the dark fabric over Keith’s hip. Keith can’t even be annoyed.

 

“Are you nervous?” He asks, focused on folding the fabric, and Keith thinks _please no_ as he braces himself for a lecture. Shiro’s known him for a long time, and Shiro knows that he hates social interaction.

 

(Ironic, because he’s a prince, but thankfully Lotor’s got enough charisma for the both of them.)

 

“No,” Keith says, because it’s true, he’s not nervous about talking to the dumb Alteans because he’s not going to talk to them.

 

But this doesn’t stop Shiro, and he stops fiddling with a stubborn flap and glances at Keith for a second. “Keith, it’s okay to be nervous. The first step to solving your problems is by admitting them-“

 

And Keith huffs, because this man is in no position to talk about “admitting your problems” because everyone and their mother is aware of Shiro’s weird flashbacks that he blatantly ignores. Keith flicks his ears as Shiro pulls a little too tight on his waist and frowns. “I’m not nervous, Shiro,” he says again, because apparently that tech arm must be going to his brain. He’s honestly not.

 

Shiro opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but the door to Keith’s dressing room glides open and a sentry stands in the doorway. “Prince Keith,” it addresses Keith in a clicky, robotic voice, “Lord Zarkon is ready to depart.”

 

Keith gives a noncommittal grunt and the sentry stands there, unsatisfied, before Shiro gives a quiet sigh and says “Of course, please tell Lord Zarkon Prince Keith will ready right away.”

 

The sentry clicks, seemingly happy, and salutes a “Vrepit Sa” and Shiro salutes in return before it’s clunking back down the hallway. The door clicks shut and Keith waits until the footsteps fade and walks over to the door to bang his head against it repeatedly.

 

It slides open before he’s able to, though, and he curses whoever invented automatic doors. He glances at Shiro, who gives him an encouraging look, before they make their way to the ship bay.

 

 

When they get there, Zarkon and Lotor are already stood by a ship. He spots Haggar and her shady little minions hovering around like the creeps they are and shudders. He hates the Druids. Always have, always will. He makes a point to walk around them. When Keith and Shiro get there, Lotor sneers and wraps a disgustingly long arm over his shoulders. “Nice of you to finally join us, _little brother_.”

 

And Keith is seething, because _yes_ he’s short for a Galra, but anyone looks short compared to Zarkon being an actual wall and Lotor being an actual tree. Keith is kind of angry Lotor got that part of the gene pool, but he’s quite happy he didn’t inherit “actual sentient asshole” and “idiot who sometimes forgets to breathe because he’s too busy making out with one of his eighty thousand servants,” so.

 

Shiro must spot this, and directs the attention away before Keith can do something stupid like yank so much of Lotor’s stupid hair right from the roots that’d he’d have enough hair to create another species of animal, especially with all the weird chemicals he puts in it to keep it white. Keith is incredibly greatful.

 

Shiro bows, and Lotor’s eyes sweep over him. It creeps Keith out whenever Lotor interacts with Shiro, because Lotor wanted Shiro for himself and Keith knows what _that_ means. Shiro’s like a brother to him, more than Lotor will ever be, so it’s kind of like incest. But Shiro’s respectful, albeit a little scared of the crown prince, so he doesn’t mind.

 

“Lord Zarkon, Crown Prince Lotor,” he says, smoothly, and Keith honestly wonders why they even bother bringing this big party when they should just send Shiro. The man is the living embodiment of diplomacy. “Prince Keith is ready for departure.”

 

Zarkon hums, the noise a deep, reverberant from the depth of his plated chest. “Thank you Shiro, dutiful as always. Though,” Zarkon continues, drilling his dark, yellow eyes into Keith’s. “I am wondering why Keith can’t tell me this himself.”

 

Keith resists the urge to roll his eyes at both the reprimand and Lotor’s snickering that he does a horrible job of trying to hide. “I am,” he says, repeating after Shiro with a lot more sass than necessary. “ready for departure, _Lord Zarkon_.”

 

Before Zarkon can shove his claws down Keith’s throat, Haggar slithers up like a weird bug and sticks her pointy nose into Zarkon’s personal space. This will probably be the only time Keith ever likes her.

 

“Are we ready, My Lord?” She asks, and Zarkon looks like he’s about ready to shove his claws down her throat for interrupting him. But with the way his fists clench, Keith guesses that he must of realized that Hagar is the only reason Zarkon is the Lord of anything.

 

“Yes,” he growls, and with that they’re ushered in the ship and gliding out of the docking bay. Keith actually finds amusement in the way Hagar watches them leave. He imagines she has sad puppy dog eyes beneath the creepy hood.

 

The inside of the ship isn’t much different than the main castle, because for some reason beyond him Zarkon decided to make all the architecture the same. And the colors like him. Keith thinks it narcissistic, Lotor thinks it’s beautiful.

 

Freaks.

 

Keith sits in his personal quarters, door locked to specifically keep out his brother and father, and stares out of the stupidly tiny window at the passing stars. The journey to Altea will be short, they only need to travel far away enough to open a wormhole, and they’ll be there. Hopefully the stay there will be just as brief.

 

“As I was saying before,” Keith nearly jumps because Shiro speaks up and he swears that the mechanical arm is giving him some kind of mind reading power because he always does this, “it’s okay to be nervous. I’ll be by your side the whole event.”

 

“I’d hope not,” Keith says, flicking his ears. He glances at Shiro to gauge his reaction, and his thick eyebrows are furrowed in confused. “I don’t think you’d like to be there when I have to go to the restroom.”

 

They both smile at each other, and they’re suddenly lurching as the ship enters a wormhole.

 

***

They haven’t even landed yet and Keith can already tell it’s even worse than the pictures show. He didn’t even think that was possible.

 

There’s a crowd gathered for their arrival, and it’s a diverse sea of browns and whites and blues and golds and just completely different from a Galran crowd.

 

Keith hates it.

 

As they get closer to the planet, Lotor says something about women. Keith feels his eyebrow twitch, because he acts like he doesn’t have an entire ship filled with servants.

 

He’ll make a perfect successor to Zarkon.

 

The ship lands with a slight _thud_ , and the hatch in front of them hisses open. Keith cringes at the sight before him.

 

Lush, bright grass flutters in cool wind that hits Keith in a wave, and just breathing it makes him feel like he’s taken a shot of pure Quintessence. Roaring mountains touch the bright blue skies and dancing clouds tickle the capped peaks. Blooming flower fields give way to crowded streets, dotted with tall, intricate buildings built of stark white material with glowing blue accents built within.

 

The ship landed in a grassy patch, and little ahead is a fountain. Clear liquid sprays from several spouts, periodically shifting to form shapes, reflecting vivid rainbows. The same wild flowers from the fields are in planters, green vines spilling over the sides and over carefully sculpted images in the sides.

 

Most distressing of all, a large crowd of Alteans have gathered to greet them. For some reason. Keith almost thinks it’s an accident, that their arrival was leaked and spread like wildfire through the common people. But when a man in white armor with gold designs, and a billowing navy cape, strides confidently up to them with a bright smile and introduces himself as King Alfor, Keith realizes that this is not an accident.

 

It’s completely different from home; a barren wasteland of brown, purple, and more purple. There’s just so...much. Nothing looks the same, not the way a Galran planet would.

 

It puts a weight in Keith’s stomach and he hates it. It feels like someone’s just poisoned him, he hates the feeling. He feels out of place. Lotor must be eating this up.

 

Keith drags his eyes away from the cheering crowd and takes a moment to look over King Alfor.

 

He’s no different from the planet. Dark skin, barren of fur and scars, contrasts with the strangest eyes Keith’s ever seen. They’re white, but there’s a spot of color in the middle. They’re like Shiro’s, except the spot matches the vibrant blues of the atmosphere. Beneath his eyes  are streaks of makeup, a bright blue to match his eyes. His face is framed by neat, white hair. It’s not as aggressive as Lotor’s, though, and more resembles the soft wisps of clouds in the sky, a more natural white like Shiro’s. He’s donned in an attire the complete opposite of Zarkon’s. He’s shorter than both Zarkon and Lotor, but he stills looks like he can hold up a fight against them pretty well. He boasts a face of a King who is loved, Keith notes. Something Zarkon will never have.

 

His smile grows wider, teeth the same white as his hair. Another Altean with orange hair instead of white- Keith’s still not over this whole diversity thing- and less noble clothing trails behind him, looking just as cheery as every other Altean there. Keith figures he must be some sort of advisor, like Shiro.

 

“Welcome!” King Alfor’s voice is loud, but nice, something you’d want to listen to for hours. “Again,” he tacks on, and laughs, and Keith is shocked at how easily this man makes Keith want to _trust_ him. It’s weird. It reminds Keith of Druid magic, and it makes him weary. He glances to Shiro, but Shiro seems to have fallen to his magic.

 

King Alfor takes notice of Shiro, and when they make connection is when Keith realizes that they are strikingly similar, save for Shiro’s blunt ears. He guesses King Alfor realizes this, but the only hint he gives is a slight raise of his eyebrows. Otherwise, he keeps a face of diplomacy.

 

“Of course,” Zarkon booms, and the crowd lulls for a second to listen to his voice. King Alfor and Shiro’s staring contest stops as the king’s blue eyes cut to Zarkon. “King Alfor. These are my sons, Crown Prince Lotor and Prince Keith.”

 

“The pleasure is ours! We’ve been anticipating your arrival.” King Alfor says, and motions toward the large building beyond the fountain. “Please allow us to celebrate with a dinner?”

 

“We’d be delighted,” Zarkon says, and Keith feels weird because “delighted” sounds weird coming out of a monotone voice like that.

 

Nonetheless, they follow the King past the crowd and up the steps of the grand building. They past a set of guards that bow respectfully and on the landing they meet two other Alteans who look just as important as King Alfor.

 

Keith looks to Shiro as King Alfor moves to introduce the two, but Shiro is still entranced and looks like he’s on the verge of an attack. _So much for support_ ¸ Keith thinks bitterly.

 

“These,” King Alfor stands behind the Alteans, who resemble him in their skin, hair, and the air of nobility and respect they seem to carry. “are my children. Princess Allura and Prince Lance.”

 

Princess Allura is, respectfully, stunning. She has the same sharp features, blue eyes, and white hair as her father. She has large, pink pupils, though, and the paint beneath them matches with the same soft pink. A slim figure is wrapped in a billowing gown laced with pink fabric that settles nicely with the blue, golds, and whites. A golden band sits beneath her hair, glinting in the sunlight. She smiles politely and bows, but Keith is unsettled by the fire in her eyes.

 

Prince Lance resembles his sister. Dark skin, sharp angles, white hair, slim figure. Except his eyes are a somber blue, not that of the skies. The paint  beneath his eyes is the same. He wears a crown like his sister’s beneath his short hair. Pointed ears, arms, and his neck are covered in golden and blue jewels that glitter against his tanned complexion. Instead of the strained smile and averted eyes the Princess gave, the Prince is staring _directly_ at Keith, with a wolfish smile of white, blunt teeth. It’s a different fire than Princess Allura’s, but it unsettles Keith all the same.

 

After some other short introductions- Keith learns that the man that follows the King around like a loyal pet is named Coran, the advisor - they head inside and Keith shouldn’t be surprised by the brilliant decor.

 

The same whites and blues that cover the buildings outside are inside, too, but greys and blacks compliment them nicely. The architecture is amazing, and just like the outside, it’s brightly lit in here. As if the clothing and jewelry weren’t reflective enough.

 

It seems as if this building was here for the sole purpose of a dining hall, because a large table is sat beneath a crystal chandelier that sends rainbows dancing along the walls. More food than Keith’s ever seen covers the entire length, and his stomach growls despite himself.

 

Next to him, the Prince smiles. He must of heard his stomach. Keith frowns  and flutters his ears, turning to Shiro, but his advisor’s gone.

 

Not by his side.

 

“Shir-“

 

“Come!” King Alfor cuts into Keith’s panic and moves them along to the table. “Let us eat!”

 

And with that, the Alteans begin their cheering again.

 

***

King Alfor’s in the middle of the table, Zarkon directly across. It’s different than the meetings he’s been to before; if they’ve ever sat at a table, they would be seated on completely different sides. But the parties are close this time, and Keith finds himself across from the Prince.

 

“Father,” he tries whispering to Zarkon about Shiro’s whereabouts, but either Zarkon has a little extra fur growing in his ears or he’s just ignoring Keith, because he just continues to talk to King Alfor. He frowns and turns back to his cup, which has some sort of liquid in it that Keith is afraid to drink.

 

“It’s Nunville.” Keith nearly screeches in surprise as a voice pipes up. His head picks up, and he meets the deep blue of the Prince’s eyes. His thin brows are raised, and he gestures to the liquid in Keith’s drink. His voice is warm like the planet’s sun. “The drink. It’s good. Trust me.”

 

Keith is disturbed by both the social interaction and the man’s overly charming smile, but the drink _does_ seem inviting. He presses the cup to his lips and tips his head back. The drink flows down his throat, leaving a warm numbness in its trail. His ears press against his hair and he sniffs.

 

“Is it good?” Prince Lance says, and his jewelry tingles as he stretches across the table. Keith nods, and hopes to whatever holy being is out there that Shiro would _hurry up and get the hell back over here-_

 

“So, Keith,” The Prince continues, and Keith startles. He’s surprised by the lack of formality.

 

“Prince Lance,” Keith says back, because he isn’t entirely sure what to do and he _just_ _wants Shiro back_ -

 

“Just Lance, if you will.” Prince- _Lance_ , wiggles his brows and his lecherous smile flashes like some sort of story villain.

 

“Okay...” Keith draws out, sweeping his eyes across the room to see if he can find Shiro. “Lance.”

 

Lance seems satisfied, and Keith thinks for a moment that he’ll stop talking to him, but instead he leans across the table and sets a small morsel on Keith’s plate. Keith pauses, because the action is strangely intimate, and Lance smells weird. Not bad weird, like Lotor after his morning routines, but fresh like the air and salty at the same time. Lance is close enough that Keith can see the waves in his eyes.

 

“Try one.” Lance says, and stares into Keith for a moment longer before sitting back down. “My personal chef- best friend, actually- made these. In fact, he made everything here. He’s awesome.”

 

“Yeah,” Keith mumbles, because he’s overwhelmed by all the talking and how Shiro _still isn’t here_. He stares at the food on his plate. It’s just a small cake, but artfully decorated with whites and blues to match the decor of the building.

 

“Are you okay?” Lance says, because he must notice Keith’s internal panic. “Do you need first aid, or something?”

 

“No, I’m fine,” Keith hurries, and takes a bite of the cake to prove his point. He’s surprised by the flavor. It’s good, it’s sweet and nice and Keith finds himself liking it. It’s different than Galra food, just like everything else here.

 

Lance perks up. “Good, right?” His smile increases ten watts at the sight of Keith’s nod. “I’m glad.”

 

They stare at each for a quick moment, and Keith debates wether or not he should just excuse himself to look for Shiro because at this point he’s incredibly worried, but Lance starts talking himself and Keith can’t find it in himself to be that rude.

 

“So, is Keith like, a nickname or something?” Lance asks, never bringing his azure gaze away from Keith’s blank yellow.

 

Keith blinks. “No, why?”

 

“I just thought- because like, y know, Zarkon, Lotor, and then you’re just...Keith.” Lance explains. Keith notes that Lance talks with his hands. He finds it kind of endearing.

 

“What’s wrong with Keith?” Keith’s confused, because he honestly doesn’t know what Lance is talking about.

 

“You- nothing. Nothing, never mind, Keith’s a great name.”

 

Before Keith can ask him what he means, Lotor comes into view and Keith’s mood sours.

 

“Hello, Prince Lance.” Keith hates how velvety Lotor’s voice sounds compared to his own rusty scratch, and he hates how Lotor greets Lance with a leering smirk.

 

Lance seems surprised by the Crown Prince’s sudden appearence, and just like that, his attention is drawn away. As expected. “Crown Prince Lotor.”

 

Keith tries to ignore the title Lance greets Lotor with, and tries to ignore how he feels disappointed and goes to find Shiro.

 

He finds Shiro off to the side talking with King Alfor’s advisor, Coran, about advising things, or something, because Keith’s not entirely sure. He caught a snippet of their conversation and heard something like “the green goop is incredibly beneficial to their health and well being, I’m not sure why they hate it so-“ before Shiro spotted him.

 

“May I have a word with Shiro, please?” Keith looks past Shiro and addresses the advisor.

 

The man twirls in mustache and nods. “Of course, your Princelyness!”

 

Keith frowns. “Right. Thank you.” He grabs Shiro and hauls him away to a stray corner of the hall.

 

“Where were you?” He hisses, and Shiro smiles sheepishly. Keith seethes. “And your stupid embarrassed smile isn’t going to work. You _said_ you’d be my side.” Keith doesn’t mention that if Shiro had been there, he wouldn’t have this feeling inside him. Whatever this feeling is.

 

Shiro deflates. “I’m sorry, Keith. It’s just- you know, I’m from Earth.” And Keith nods. Shiro had been taken prisoner from another planet in Galran territory with a group of others of his kind, and they had all claimed to come from the planet Earth. It was one unknown to Galran maps, and the Druids tried to get the truth from them, because it was suspected they were enemy spies, but it seemed Earth really was their home.

 

“Well,” Shiro continues. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that they look like me. I thought that Alteans were somehow connected to Earth, but...” He sighs, and suddenly Shiro looks 20 years older. “...they’re not.”

 

Keith feels bad for him, he truly does. Keith loves Shiro. But at the same time, he doesn’t care, because Shiro is his advisor and there to keep him sane, _not_ there to find his Earth. Keith wouldn’t let him go, anyway. Keith starts to tell him this, but he’s cut off by an alarmed “King Alfor!”

 

And now Keith’s seething, because he’s tired of being interrupted today and is about ready to _kill_ someone, to hell with diplomacy. He whips around, but is shocked by the sight before him.

 

It’s like someone has frozen over the room. At the table, Zarkon is stood with a blaster pointed between King Alfor’s eyes. Princess Allura seems like she’s about to run and rip Zarkon’s throat out, but Coran holds her back. He sees Lance and Lotor next to each other, like they’ve been in the middle of a conversation when Zarkon decided to pull a gun. The Alteans in the room are frozen in fear, hands covering their mouths. Guards are beginning to spill into the room.

 

“Lord Zarkon,” King Alfor says, voice dark and with none of the sunniness it had before. “What is the meaning of this?”

 

“You,” Zarkon says, tipping the blaster to emphasize, “have something I crave. Do you know what that is?”

 

“Yes.” Alfor says, and Keith is confused because not even he knows what it is. At first he thinks of Quintessence, but there’s a steady supply from the farms, so that makes no sense. What does his father crave so much that he would hold a blaster to a king’s head in the middle of a diplomacy meeting on a foreign planet?

 

“Then give it to me, and you all live.”

 

“Father!” Allura screams, and Coran moves her back. The guards are closing in, weapons raised and poised to strike.

 

Alfor gives no time to contemplate his decision, and gives an affirmative “No.”

 

And Zarkon gives no time to contemplate either, and pulls the trigger to the blaster. A purple beam burns through King Alfor’s skull before the guards can pull the triggers on their weapons and just like that, Zarkon is gone.

 

Keith feels his heart stop. This. This is why he can’t have nice things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eeeeee AHHHH
> 
> Hello friends! Thank you for reading :D
> 
> So this will be multiple chapters....but like 2 probably lol i suck at writing. also sorry for mistakes! I have to edit it and I wrote like 2,000 words of this in an hour and a half and that's a lot for a lazy bum like me and im very excited to post! so if you see a mistake, please point it out if you'd like because it'll be a huge help :D
> 
> But! I actually have a plot written for this and that's a total first for me. (to be honest, the plot notes are a total mess. it's like reading a kindergartener's journal? who's also high on weed? im not entirely sure. let me quote an example for this chapter: galra go to altea to do a contract or something as allies and then zarkon’s like “sike lmao u all thought” and dead ass shoots alfor right in front of everyone and everyone just panics and keith’s like “wtf dad this is why we never bring you out”) 
> 
> I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Altean Lance and I've been on a creative kick lately so! This was inspired by a song + fanart of altean Lance (so. many. screenshots.)
> 
> ALSO, I write to music and each chapter is a diff. song. The title and the song this chapter was written to is Joe Hertz - Stay Lost, which is the song inspiration for this as mentioned above! ^^
> 
> ALSO THE HEADCANON THAT LOTOR DYES HIS HAIR IS REALLY FUNNY FOR ME AND IDK WHY
> 
> Again, thank you for reading! Hope to see you back! ;)


	2. No, Really, He Can't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first thing Keith is greeted with when he wakes up is a prison cell and an angry prince.

Keith never thought he’d ever be sitting in an Altean prison cell, much less a prison cell at all, but life’s just _full of surprises_. He didn’t even think Alteans had prison cells, he just figured that they sat down and talked it out in front of a therapist before they both cried and hugged it out. To be fair, that would probably be worse than the very small, bare, white room he’s in now. It’s very different from the bright cheeriness beyond the prison walls.

 

He isn’t even quite sure why he’s in here in the first place. Well, no, he is sure, his father just blasted the brains out of the king, but it’s not like that was Keith’s fault or anything. It’s pretty obvious he had nothing to do with it, but Keith figures the Alteans don’t have the mind reading powers that the Druids do. But still.

 

At least he’s about 8 million light years from Lotor and Zarkon, so that’s a plus, he supposes. Except that means he’s also 8 million light years from Shiro.

 

The skin-tight suit that hugs him tighter than Shiro ever has that he currently wears (He doesn’t remember changing into it, he must’ve blacked out or something. He honestly isn’t sure, the whole thing was sort of a rush.) is starting to itch, and his hands are bound behind his back. He wishes Shiro were here to scratch it. He tries scratching the spot with his claws, but he’s just out of reach. And, he decides, this is how he dies. He’s going to go insane from a stupid itch.

 

He’s surrounded by 3 white walls and a glass one, which he can only see across into another empty cell. There’s a button on the wall which he hopes is the toilet or something, and a very frumpy looking bed. He prays there are no cameras in the room (ha! as if) and runs over to the bed to scratch his back.

 

What? A Galra’s gotta do what a Galra’s gotta do.

 

He ruts against the side, trying to soothe the biting itch on the one stupid spot on his back that he just can’t reach. His fur rubs against the metal of the bed, and just as he makes contact with the spot the glass door slides open.

 His eyes snap to the opening and in the entrance, of all things, is the Altean Prince. Lanky, or something like that. His once bright blue eyes are darkened, eyelids heavy, and sitting on bags and dark circles. His thin eyebrows are drawn together and his lips are turned down in what Keith believes is the second scariest glare he’s seen in his life. He’s completely different from what Keith saw a moment earlier (hours earlier? days earlier? He isn’t sure.), and Keith can guess why. Keith is startled by his sudden appearance and slides to the floor. He glances to the door the Prince’s just entered in and he spots two guards, only visible by the tips of their armored feet. Subtle.

 

“Prince Keith,” the Prince all but snarls, and Keith regrets calling Alteans bright and cheerful because the look in the Prince’s eyes is anything but. Well, Keith supposes, when your beloved father is shot in face you’d be a little mad. Not that Keith would know anything about that, though.

 

But, again, it’s not like Keith had to do anything with it.

 

“I said,” the Prince growls again, this time close enough to Keith that he can see the grease reflecting off his once flawless complexion. “Prince Keith.”

 

While Keith is a prince, he isn’t the best at social interaction, so when the first thing that comes out of his mouth is “it wasn’t me” he can’t say he’s entirely surprised. He’s still disappointed with himself though, and he’d be face palming right now if his hands weren’t chained behind his back. 

Prince Lamp (Keith is really struggling to remember this guy’s name) rolls his blood shot eyes and lets out barely audible sigh. “We know that. But it’s pretty obvious that you had something to do with it.”

 

“No, I didn’t. Listen, Prince-“ and Keith falters, because he doesn’t know the prince’s name and he figured it would be rude to call him something like Lint. “What...What was your name again?”

 

“Oh my _quiznak_.” The Prince yells, grabbing his head between in hands. The bracelets wrapped around his wrists click against the crown he wears. Keith flinches. All he did was ask the dude’s name. “You’re an idiot.”

 

“Hey!” Keith shouts, his ears flicking forward. His claws dig into his wrists and pinch his skin.

 

“Oh, my bad,” Prince Link mocks. “I just figured you’d know my name, since you were ordered to distract me while your _father_ murdered my father in cold blood.”

 

“ _What?”_ Keith wishes he had a shot of quintessence right now, because he starts to feel the familiar pound between his ears. Alteans really _are_ dumb.

 

“Alteans aren’t dumb, as much as you Galrans like to believe-“ Keith holds in his amusement at that, because _how ironic-_ “and we’ve figured out your little plan!”

 

“Well,” Keith shifts around, the cuffs around his wrists pulling uncomfortably on the scrapes he’s just opened with his nails. “you haven’t, apparently, because there _is_ no plan.” Keith thinks for a moment. “Not one I’m aware of, anyway.”

 

“Bull-“

 

“Listen, Prince Limp-“ Keith tries to explain.

 

“Lance.”

 

“-I don’t quite get along with my father _or_ my brother. I was just as shocked as you when Zarkon did that. I don’t know why.” And then Keith remembers something. “What was that thing Zarkon was talking about?”

 

Lance seems genuinely puzzled. “What thing?”

 

Keith feels the cuffs chaff into his skin and wrinkles his nose. “The thing Zarkon wanted. The whole reason your-“ Keith almost says _your father got his brains painted all over the dining hall floor_ but he guesses that’s a sore subject for Prince Lance. “-this happened in the first place.”

 

The Prince draws his eyebrows together for a moment, like he’s seriously thinking about it, but he seems to draw a blank. His eyes shoot back up to Keith’s, but he notices that there’s a little less venom then there was before and a little more contemplation. “It doesn’t matter! My father’s still dead I _know_ you know something! You _have_ to.” The Prince sounds kind of desperate for a moment, and Keith feels truly bad. He can’t relate or anything, but Shiro’s spent many hours relenting to Keith how he’s lost his family and all.

 

 _Shiro_. Goddammit. Is Shiro all he can think about?

 

“Prince Lance-“ Keith sighs.

 

“Lance.”

 

“What?”

 

The Prince averts his eyes, a blush creeping up on his neck. “I...I said you can call me Lance.”

 

“Alright,” and Keith is shocked, because for someone who was just accusing him of being an accomplice to an intergalactic crime Lance is suddenly very bashful. “Lance, I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about your father.” Lance looks heartbroken. Keith’s heart sputters. “But, um, I know stuff about the Empire that could...help you guys, I guess.” Keith stutters it out, and immediately regrets the sentence. He really can’t do anything without Shiro.

 

At that, Lance looks up, a reminiscent of a smile on his face. “Really?”

 

And Keith thinks things might be going good, but he shifts his hands again because _damn_ these things are tight, and suddenly they’re free and the cuffs fall to the floor. He must’ve been loosening them with his claws this entire time.

 

“Shit,” is all Keith can say before the two guards he spotted earlier and rushing in the door and aiming their blasters at Keith’s head. He spares one last glance at Lance’s face and then it’s shockingly blue, and then black.

 

Whatever being is out there, it refuses to let Keith have just _one_ nice thing, doesn’t it?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY OMG
> 
> not only is this two months late, it's only 1,000 words, written in thirty minutes, and absolute shite. im pulling this entire thing out of my ass as i go along so. i also have a concussion??? so im kind of drowsy and there's probably a lot of errors. im sorry ):
> 
> next chapter will be out faster and longer, and written in Lance's POV (my boy<3) if it's not you can sue me.
> 
> also I started with Keith forgetting lances name as a joke for myself and then I realized that Keith actually forgot lance in the show and it made it even funnier so. enjoy my cornball humor.
> 
> song is fumes by eden
> 
> thanks for the support, and sticking with my lazy ass ;v;
> 
> edit: for some reason beyond me, an entire paragraph got deleted. edited that back in -.-'


	3. Lance Can't Have Nice Things Either, Apparently

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance discovers a couple things.

Lance is, for once, glad to be alone. He’d freak out if anyone saw him in the state he’s in now.

 

Which is with puffy, wet eyes and a trail of snot down his face. His heads pounds furiously from crying and the fact that he’s sleep deprived doesn’t help either. He hasn’t washed his face in quintents. He’s also not sure when he rolled himself up in the covers, but the warmth is welcoming.

 

Cut him some slack, okay? He’s going through some tough times.

 

Lance buries his face into the plush duvet of his bed and sniffles. Stupid Galra. Even if they’re fluffy and all kind of hot, they’re jerks. The king practically ruined his life.

 

(The Prince did too, apparently, because Lance saw him in his dreams the night before but it’s totally inappropriate so he tries not to think about it.)

 

The calming melody playing throughout his quarters has managed to help, though, and Lance’s been able to stop crying. He tries to even out his breathing and dull the thumping in his head. He’s tempted to rub his eyes, but he knows that will only make his poor complexion even worse.

 

“Lance?”

 

Lance is startled by the soft knock and voice from behind his door and sits up, attempting to unravel himself from his cocoon. Quiznack, Pidge always has the worst timing. Just let a man mourn in peace.

 

“Just a tick!” Lance calls, furiously rubbing his eyes with his sheets to erase any evidence that he’s been crying for the past varga.

 

“Lance, are you naked again? We’ve talked about this, you know-“

 

Lance slams his hand on the button and the door lifts. Pidge blinks. Lance sniffs again, but he figures it’s kind of worthless, because Pidge is smart so she can probably tell he’s been crying. “What?” His voice sounds rough and unused.

 

If Pidge notices, she doesn’t say anything, just furrows her brows. “Allura wants you in the holodeck.”

 

Oh quiznack, Allura. In all his self pity, Lance forgot Allura. If Lance is having a rough time, he can’t imagine what his older sister is feeling. Her coronation is in 2 quintents. _That’s gotta suck_ , Lance thinks. He feels bad for crying now because Allura must be hurting so much, and he doubts she’s had a pity party in her quarters like he has.

 

Lance decides to be strong for Allura.

 

“What for?” Lance asks, because he still has his robes on and he honestly doesn’t feel like changing.

 

Pidge averts her eyes and purses her lips. “Prince Keith.”

 

Lance grits his teeth and nods. “Alright, let me change real quick.”

 

Pidge sighs in relief. Lance flicks her forehead and turns to change.

 

-

Pidge and Lance head to holodeck together in silence. Neither one can bring themselves to say anything, which is weird, because all the pair ever does when they’re together is make fun of each other. Lance can’t stand it. He just wishes everything was back to normal.

 

Before Lance can start crying again, they’re in the holodeck. Allura, his father’s advisor Coran, Hunk, and Pidge’s brother Matt are gathered in front of a pod. In the pod, the Galran Prince is suspended a deep sleep. Attached to his head are wires, which extract his memories and dump them into the holding tank where they can be viewed. The process has always given Lance the chills, especially the viewing part. The memories are always so vividly detailed. It disturbs Lance that nothing is truly private, that anyone can just dig around in his mind. He feels kind of bad for Keith.

 

When they get to the pod, Lance notices Allura’s grim face. Her silver curls frame her face and cast shadows over her bright blue eyes and it makes her look 10,000 years older. Lance stands next to Hunk, who’s warm presence manages to make Lance calm down a little.

 

“What’d you get out of him, Sis?” Lance asks, glancing nervously at the faces in the room. Whatever it is, it must not be good.

 

“Nothing,” Allura says. Lance blinks.

 

“What?”

 

“Literally nothing,” Allura repeats. She taps on the holding tank’s display screen and pulls up the projector. The Prince’s memory data fills the room with a cyan glow and makes Lance’s head spin when he tries to understand it. “Besides a few Galran locations, customs, and maps; he knows nothing. Just stuff we could look up, basically.”

 

Lance thinks back to when he visited Keith in his prison cell. “Huh,” Lance muses. “So he wasn’t lying?”

 

Matt shakes his head. “No, he looks like he’s left out of the loop.”

 

“So he’s completely worthless,” Pidge murmurs. Matt hits her in the head which is returned with a nasty glare.

 

“But,” Matt continues, tapping on the bracelet on his wrist. The screen on it projects the map to the castle, which Lance knows inside out. “Allura and I were reviewing King Alfor’s memory bank, and found _this_.” The hologram shifts, and map suddenly has 5 extra rooms.

 

What? Lance has lived here his entire life. There’s no way he could have missed 5 huge rooms like those. He and Hunk used to play space pirates when they were young and a good hiding spot was necessary, and Lance knew all of them. Or, at least, he thought he did.

 

What was his father hiding?

 

“What is that?” Hunk asks, equally as perplexed as Lance and Pidge. Lance spares a glance to Coran, but the man only looks to the side. He almost looks guilty.

 

“They almost look like...” Pidge begins, but trails of in uncertainty.

 

“Hangers.” Coran finishes. Every eye in the room turns on him. The man pauses for a moment, but Allura gives him an encouraging nod.

 

“They’re hangers,” Coran explains, nervously fiddling with his mustache. “for a project King Alfor was working on.”

 

Lance has never been more confused in his life. “ _Project_?” What kind of project requires 5 secret hangers? What was his father planning that he’d keep secret from his children? From the kingdom?

 

Coran nods. “Yes, a project. Lions.”

 

“Coran, you’re not explaining very well at all. What the heck are loins?”

 

“Lions,” Matt says, and the hologram shifts again. Now there are 5 robotic animals on the screen, which look really badass. “The King was building these lions. I’m guessing they’re named after the castle.”

 

Lance is embarrassed because he suddenly remembers that the castle is literally called the Castle of Lions.

 

“What are they for?” Pidge asks, examining the projected image.

 

“To protect Altea,” Coran says. “They’re unfinished, that’s why they’re top secret. I’m truthfully regretful for not informing you all. They’re made of quintessence and will be very powerful once fully operational. I’m not sure how, But Zarkon must’ve found out, and he’s quintessent hungry.”

 

“And that’s what he came here looking for, isn’t it?” Hunk finishes.

 

Coran gives a grim nod.

 

“Wait wait wait, hold on!” Lance yelps, throwing his hands into his hair. He’s so unbelievably confused right now. “So you mean to tell me Dad’s just been hiding these giant ass lions things in the castle without telling anyone? And they’re powered by pure quintessence? That stuff’s really powerful!”

 

“Language,” Hunk mutters.

 

“For your protection,” Coran reminds him.

 

“They’re doing a real piss poor job of protecting us! What the heck!” Lance yells, digging his shoe into the floor.

 

“Lance.” Allura scolds him. Only now Lance just notices Allura’s been silent this whole time. He figures this must be hard on her. She was close to their father, maybe even closer than Lance was. Lance keeps his blue gaze glued to the floor.

 

“We’re going to take a look at them tomorrow,” Matt says. “Coran’s going to tell us about them. Until then, we should all rest. I imagine it’s been hard on you.”

 

They nod in agreement.

 

“What are we gonna do with Fluffy, then?” Lance asks. Everyone turns to look at the young Prince suspended in the pod.

 

“Send him back to his cell, of course.” Allura states, casually.

 

“What, why?” Lance sputters. “He’s innocent! His memory proves it. We can’t just send him back to the cells. It’s not good hostmanship.”

 

Allura frowns. “Lance, we’re currently in war with Galra kind. He’s the Galran prince. Need I remind you, he shares blood with the monster who _shot our father._ He needs to stay in that cell.”

 

Lance pouts. He doesn’t even know why he’s defending Keith like this. “Allura, that’s not fair and you know it! He didn’t do anything!”

 

Allura thinks for a moment. “Fine,” she spats. “He can be let out during the day. He’ll be your little _pet_ , Lance. Be with him at all times. If he tries anything, neutralize him on spot. He’s to sleep in the cells at night. I’ll be damned if I let a _Galra_ sleep in any Altean quarters. And you can wait here until he comes out of the pod. Understand?”

 

Lance cheers silently in his head and pretends not to notice all the venom Allura spit. “Got it.” He really shouldn’t be happy that he has to babysit the Galra, but if he were in Keith’s situation, he wouldn’t want to sit in a cell for something he didn’t have any part in.

 

“Oh _god_.” Pidge moans, like she knows exactly what Lance is thinking. Lance kicks the back of her knee.

 

Allura sets the pod to release Keith and dismisses the meeting. The group files out except for Hunk, who stays behind with Lance.

 

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Hunk says, watching the pod with Lance.

 

Lance loves Hunk. They’ve been best friends since the day they met and Hunk getting staffed at the castle was one of the best days of his life. He dotes on Lance like a mother and Lance adores it. He’s confident in Lance when Lance isn’t confident in his self. He also knows what’s best for Lance, whether Lance will admit it or not. Hunk can read Lance like a book.

 

This is one of those times. Lance answers truthfully. “Nope.”

 

Hunk just pats his shoulder in encouragement and leaves the room, leaving Lance alone with the unmoving boy.

 

Lance thinks he looks kind of cute, if he just pretends that Keith is sleeping. _Nope nope nope nope, not having those thoughts_ , Lance’s mind screams. He regrets agreeing to babysitting Keith because knowing Lance, his hormonal mind will supply him with weird things like that the entire time. Lance bangs his head against the pod and tries to erase the thoughts. Suddenly, the pod hisses open and Lance scrambles back.

 

The Galran prince falls out of the pod gracefully and into Lance’s arms. He’s surprisingly warm for having just been frozen. Keith’s blank, yellow eyes open and his ears flicker, hitting Lance in his nose. Some of his Galra fur goes up Lance’s nose and Lance sneezes, thoroughly disgusted.

 

This seems to startle Keith and it must send him into attack mode, because he immediately sends his fist into Lance’s snotty nose.

 

“Oh my God,” Keith hisses. He realizes his mistake now, fully awake. “Why am I like this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD WOW I MANAGED TO UPDATE THIS IN A WEEK WOWOAHA be proud of me :D the new gorillaz album has given me LIFE and i suddenly feel like writing again soooo!!
> 
> i'll probably post again soon because it's gittin' gud. but also my history teacher just dumped a butt load of homework in the form of a novel and a project on me so HUHUHU i'll try my best!
> 
> sorry it's dialogue heavy again, and i had trouble writing Lance in this ): also Coran. it's weird because i love both of them dearly. how did i manage 4,000 words in the first chapter, my god. next chapter will be Keith again! i love writing him more than i thought. i just relate to him a lot lmao.
> 
> and oh goodness, what has Lance gotten himself into?
> 
> i apologize for any errors, i didn't read over it. feel free to point them out if you'd like, i appreciate it c:
> 
> thanks for reading <3


	4. Slim Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things look a little brighter for Keith.

Keith just wants to disappear off of the face of this planet. Better yet, he wants to disappear from existence completely. 

 

“I am really, _really_ sorry,” Keith stumbles over his words as he tilts the prince’s warm face towards his own, examining the nose he possibly just broke. Sweet mother, Keith’s in for it now. There’s no way he’s making it out of this castle alive.

 

Prince- just Lance, Keith reminds himself, just smiles and blinks his eyes open to stare up at Keith with amusement. “It’s fine,” Lance assures Keith and shifts to sit up next to him, back against the cool wall behind them. Keith must be dreaming, because there is absolutely no way in hell this dude is seriously okay with Keith punching the living daylights out of him. The guy’s gotta be bipolar, because he’s no longer furious like he was when he visited Keith in his cell. Speaking of the cell, where is he?

 

Lance’s padded shoulder leans against Keith’s, and even with all the layers, his heat still travels into Keith and makes him shudder. The prince is really hot, (ha ha, so funny) compared to the Galra’s deathly cold temperatures. Keith isn’t quite sure how they can stand milling around beneath their steaming sun all day.

 

Keith risks a glance to Lance and a shudder crawls up his spine when he’s met with the prince’s bright smile. Keith must’ve given him brain damage when he punched him, because he’s way too happy for someone who just got a fist to the face by the kin of the man who murdered his father. “Um,” Keith says, because he can’t keep his mouth shut. “You’re not going to like, rip my arm off or something?”

 

Lance seems genuinely confused. “No, why would I do that?”

 

“I just punched you in the face,” Keith says, furrowing his eyebrows skeptically. “You don’t really like me. What about that whole ‘plan’ you said I’m involved in?”

 

If Keith isn’t mistaken, Lance actually laughs a little. “It’s alright, I promise.” Lance gestures to the wall behind them. When Keith turns, he realizes that it’s not actually a wall, but instead some sort of pod. “We kind of dug around in your memories and found out you were telling the truth. Sorry for that, by the way.” Lance explains. Keith wasn’t sure what part he was apologizing about; accusing him or something he didn’t do, or looking at Keith’s memories without permission. Either way, Keith’s inclined to forgive him.

 

Keith cringes a little because he’s sure they found some...stuff...about Shiro in there. He’s a little apathetic though, and he kind of feels bad about it, but he doesn’t really care about what information he gave away about the Galran kingdom. He doesn’t know much anyway. Besides, his moron of a father left him here, so that’s what he gets.

 

“We’re in the holodeck right now,” Lance continues, and Keith pretends to know what that means. “which is in another part of the castle. After we found out you weren’t involved, I made a deal with my sister. The Princess.” Lance suddenly turns sheepish, averting his eyes and scratching the blue streak on his cheek. “Basically, you’re allowed to walk around the castle as long as you’re with me and you sleep in your cell at night.”

 

“...Why?”

 

Lance shrugs. “I felt bad. You’re innocent and it’d be messed up to make you sit in a cell for something you didn’t do.” Lance turns to Keith and drills his eyes into Keith’s, a soft blush dusted across his tanned features. “You’re stuck with me because Allura doesn’t quite like you.”

 

Keith’s ears flutters and his heart splutters pathetically. Lance sure is strange. He wrinkles his nose. “I noticed. I’m guessing you’re the only one who sees me as innocent, then?”

 

“I’m not like Allura,” Lance says, picking at his nails. Keith guesses it’s a sore subject for him. “And I’m sure Pidge and Hunk would agree with me.” 

 

The names are unfamiliar to Keith, and he says as such. Lance suddenly starts, a large smile returning to face again. He turns to Keith with dimpled cheeks and raised brows. “I guess that means I should give you a tour, huh? Oh my quiznack, I’ve never given one before, this is going to be so much fun.” Lance stands, his jewels and metals clicking. He offers a hand to Keith but Keith ignores it and stands up on his own. He ignores the weird look Lance sends him.

 

“To start off our tour,” Lance begins, exaggerating his accent. “this is the holodeck.” He gestures around the dimly lit room, covered in shades of grey, white, and black. There’s several pods next to metal canisters and strange looking technology with bright blue buttons that Keith couldn’t begin to understand. “Memories can be stored and displayed in projections. It’s quite useful, for example, in your case. It can be used to leave messages after you die, too, but that’s creepy.” Lance makes a face and turns to leave, gesturing Keith to follow him.

 

They exit the sliding doors into a long hallway. Lance begins walking and Keith struggles to keep up while he rubbernecks at everything they pass by. “I’ll only show you the most important rooms,” Lance says, knocking his shoulder against Keith. “Since the castle’s like, huge and all. There’s some rooms _I_ don’t even know about.” Lance murmurs the last part, suddenly looking slightly upset.

 

Keith racks his brain for a way to try and cheer him up (which he will never admit out loud, because _what_.) “Is there a dining hall?”

 

Lance perked up and grinned. “ _Is there?_ Keith, you have no idea.”

***

They stop by the pool room on their way to dining hall, which Keith is confused by because the pools upside down and the last time he checked Alteans couldn’t fly, but whatever. They also passed a few guards who’s eyes popped out of their socket when they spotted the prince being trailed by a Galran like a puppy, but remained where they were. Keith could feel their stares even after he turned the corner, but he knows he’s just paranoid. He’s taken in a lot over the past couple of days.

 

When they get to the dining hall, Lance stands in front of the doors like a proud father and the room is revealed. High ceilings with a highly decorated, long buffet table stretches across the room. Chandeliers are strung from the ceiling which reflect light in fractals all over the room. What Keith can only guess are food dispensers sat on one wall next to a cart of dishes, next to an archway which probably led to the kitchen.

 

“It’s, um...” Keith couldn’t find his words.

 

“Nice, right?” Lance supplies for him. “Better than any Galran hall, I bet.”

 

Keith cracks his knuckles. “Not really,” Keith admits. “They’re probably twice the size of this, with a second floor as well. But the chandeliers are a nice touch, Galrans eat in the dark.”

 

Lance frowns like he’s disappointed for a second, but suddenly he’s distracted by someone entering the room from the kitchen. “Hunk!” He calls, waving obnoxiously.

 

Keith glances over and guesses this must be the friend Lance mentioned at the party; the head chef. He’s larger, with a stocky build but a little taller than Lance. His shoulders are slumped, causing black hair tied back by a orange headband to still fall in his face. He has golden yellow markings on his cheeks which stand out brightly against dark skin. He’s wearing a blue apron dusted in powders and liquids. Hunk’s thick brows fly up at the sight of Keith, completely ignoring Lance.

 

Well, so much for not minding.

 

“He’s awake,” Hunk says, and Keith resists the urge to make a snarky comment about pointing out the obvious.

 

“Yep!” Lance says enthusiastically, striding over to where Hunk stands cautiously. Keith follows reluctantly.

 

Hunk grabs Lance’s cape collar and pulls him close, startling Keith in the process. He must’ve forgot about the satellite dishes on Keith’s head, because he attempts to whisper without Keith hearing about it. “Are you really sure this is a good idea? I mean, I trust you and all, but...I know how you get, Lance.”

 

“It’s  fine,” Lance whispers back and pats his friend’s shoulder. Hunk doesn’t look convinced, but he pulls back anyway. Keith tries not to look like he’s bothered by the fact they’re talking about him like he’s not right in front of them.“Now,” Lance continues, breaking the few seconds of awkward silence. “I’m giving Keith a tour. Mind showing us the kitchen, Hunk?”

 

Hunk looks like he’s going to say no for a second, but he manages a small ‘sure’ after one look from Lance. Keith and Lance follow Hunk through the archway to an admittedly large kitchen and better kitchen than what the Galrans have. Considering that the Galra feed off the blood of their enemies or something, he’s not at all shocked by the vast and complicated technology the Alteans have for culinary unlike that of the Galra. The smell doesn’t burn his nostrils, either, unlike anything he’s ever eaten on his home planet.

 

 “This is nice.” Keith says, taking a deep breath of the sweet smell that drifted around the room. Hunk glows at that, and goes into a spiel about ingredients and recipes and other cooking terms that has Keith lost, but nodding along anyway. A buzzer fills the room, cutting Hunk off while he’s complaining about a recipe for that some castle personnel called Cornfield has been trying to push onto the menu , and Hunk scurries off to one of the ovens to pull out a tray of blue glass shards.

 

Keith blinks, confused, when Hunk offers him one. Lance takes one without hesitation and swallows the thing practically whole. He doesn’t wince in pain. “Try one,” Lance says instead. Keith is suddenly reminded of cake and a certain party that had landed him in this situation in the first place.

 

Keith picks up a warm circle and nibbles on the edge. A taste that Keith can’t describe as anything but _really freaking good_ invades his senses and he finds himself devouring the thing in record time. Lance giggles, a tingling sound that reminds Keith of a chorus of bells. “How are you so good at making food?” Keith moans.

 

Hunk smiles. “They’re cookies. An old Altean recipe. I’m guessing Galrans don’t have anything like that?” Keith shakes his head which causes Hunk to look smug. 

 

They all talk in the kitchen for a while longer, Hunk having warmed up to Keith, and after a few more cookies him and Lance depart. They’re walking down the hallways again and Keith notices the warm feeling deep in his chest. That was probably the longest conversation he’s ever had, which is pretty sad, but still an improvement. He hasn’t even thought about Shiro for a while.

 

Dang it. Almost.

 

“We’ll check out the training room and med bay first, then I’ll let you meet Pidge,” Lance’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “And then I’ll show you the observatory, and we can hang out in my quarters until dinner. Save the best for last.” Lance punctuates the last sentence with a wink, and Keith pretends not to blush. He nods in agreement.

 

They go to the training room next, like Lance promised. Keith’s quite excited about this one, and his ears perch at the mention of a training android. Normally, Keith would have to train with a guard, even Lotor sometimes, and they’d always get tired. With an android, though...

 

Lance demonstrates his rather impressive shooting skills, managing to knock every target in sight. Lance, for some reason beyond Keith, lets Keith cradle a giant ass sword which has Keith’s knees going weak. “We’ll come in here and practice later,” Lance promises, which causes Keith to smile. Lance turns, flustered, and fumbles the sword until it falls straight onto his feet with a loud _thud_. “Ah, quiznack,” he curses, picking the weapon up and putting it back on the shelf.

 

“What’s quiznack mean?” Keith asks.

 

“Moving along,” Lance blushes and dodges the question, and then they’re in the medical bay. There’s pods similar to the ones in the holodeck, but there’s also regular medical supplies against the wall. Keith finds it strange that Alteans even have a medical bay. Galrans usually just shoot up with quintessence, rather it be a broken arm or just a minor headache. Lance explains the general logistics of the med pods, and then they’re moving on.

 

As they’re walking out of the room, both of them laughing at a joke that Lance has made, Princess Allura suddenly appears from a doorway and causes both of them to plant their feet at their spots. Princess Allura speeds past, her thin brows drawn together and ignoring them both completely.

 

Keith looks to Lance and feels bad, because the Princess must  really hate Keith if she even ignores her own brother. But Lance doesn’t seem bothered by it, still all smiles, so Keith just pushes it to the back of his mind and they continue down the hallway.

 

“Now we’re off to meet Pidge,” Lance says. “I have to warn you, she’s a little...” Lance trails off, searching his vocabulary for a fitting description. “...eccentric, but once you know her, you’ll love her. Plus, she’s really smart.”

 

They arrive to a room that Lance calls a storage room, and Keith’s confused because why would someone just hang out in a storage room? The doors open and it reveals nothing but boxes and a bunch of tools and supplies scattered haphazardly across the floor. Keith figures Pidge must not be in here, but suddenly a messy head of flaxen hair pops up from behind the boxes.

 

A young girl comes from behind the boxes, covered in machine oil. She, like the rest of the Alteans, has markings on her cheeks, but hers are a soft green. She wipes her hands across her brow, leaving a black streak on her forehead. Lance snorts.

 

“Hey, Pidge,” Lance greets, and Pidge pads over in bare feet.

 

“Hey loser,” Pidge says, ignoring Lance’s offended look and giving Keith a once over with hazel eyes. A hovering robot darts up from behind the boxes and floats over to Pidge’s side. “I see you’ve brought the Prince.”

 

“Just Keith’s fine,” Keith says, holding out his hand.

 

Pidge eyes his hand for a minute before taking it and grinning. Her hands are really sweaty and covered in oil and when they pull away he subtly wipes them off on his suit. “I’m Pidge,” she says. “And this is Rover.” The robot beside her blips, it’s blue screen blinking.

 

“I’m giving him the grand tour,” Lance says, which Pidge snorts at. “What’re you working on?” Lance asks, stretching on his tip toes to peek over the boxes. Pidge swats him away but he dodges her oily hands.

 

“Top secret,” she says, and Keith is frightened by the glint in her eyes. “Not like you’d understand anything I would say if I explained it to you anyway.” Lance gives a squawk at that, which has Keith laughing.

 

They talk for a while, like they did with Hunk. Keith finds Pidge to be really funny, albeit a little scary. He reminds himself not to get on her wrong side. Lance looks like he really wants to ask Pidge something though, and Keith notices her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.

 

He’s suddenly reminded that he’s literally a prisoner here, the same blood as the Galran who killed their king, the same blood as the race they’re currently in war with. Keith isn’t sure why he’s laughing so much all of a sudden. He doesn’t understand why he’s having fun if everyone else is so upset by his mere presence.

 

And this is exactly why he needs Shiro here, he thinks.

 

They bid goodbye to Pidge and the tour resumes. They head over to the observatory, which isn’t really anything special. It’s a large, round room with large windows which allow the sunlight to flood in. The view isn’t anything short of magnificent, though. Flowered fields give way to rolling mountains whose peak’s touch the vibrant blue skies filled with twisting clouds. Keith tries to ignore how Lance’s eyes reflect the brilliant blues of the atmosphere.

 

“We’ll have to come back after we eat,” Lance promises. “My second favorite thing to do is come out here and watch the stars.”

 

“What’s your favorite thing to do?” Keith asks. Lance ignores him, and they head off.

 

They’re in Lance’s room next, which is quite opulent and spacious. They settle onto his bed and Lance points out the window over top of it, letting him view the thinning clouds above. It’s not quite as grand as Keith’s room though, and when he mentions this, Lance only flicks his forehead.

 

“Well, that concludes our tour.” Lance falls back onto his lush pillows, propping his slippered feet onto Keith’s lap, giving a sigh of satisfaction.

 

Keith shoves Lance’s feet off of it and settles next to him. They stare up at the sky together. The sunlight bears down onto Lance’s face, covering him in a warm glow. Keith looks away. “Thanks,” he mutters.

 

“For what?” Lance asks, turning to him.

 

“For, everything, I guess.” Keith says, flickering his ear. “Not letting me get locked up. The tour. Whatever.”

 

Lance smiles. “It’s not a big deal.”

 

Keith wants to say _it is, it’s a huge deal_ but he decides not to press it. Lance then starts a rapid fire round of 20 questions, drilling Keith with questions about Galra culture. At first, Keith thinks it’s a rouse to get him to reveal secrets or whatever but then he remembers he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the Galra and the Alteans have just about every memory he’s ever made, and when Lance starts telling his own stories that have Keith’s stomach hurting from laughing and tears in both of their eyes, he realizes that he’s just over reacting.

 

Keith lets himself believe for a moment that Lance genuinely likes him.

 

When Lance announces that it’s time for dinner after catching his breath, they start out toward the dining hall. They walk side by side and Lance’s warmth allows Keith to drift off into thought.

 

Lance, Keith thinks, is like Shiro. In a way. Keith basically can’t do anything with Shiro, because he’s always over thinking things and totally awkward in any social situation, but he’s been doing alright with Lance. Well, besides punching him in the nose and accidently pick locking his own hand cuffs.

 

Maybe Keith can have nice things.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw crap how cute.
> 
> now watch it burn apart by my hands.
> 
> (:
> 
> okay but for real, sorry for taking so long to update! I suppose a did a bit better than last time (two months, come laidellennt seriously) but testing and school has been kicking my ASS. voltron and my dog are the only things allowing me to keep my sanity, as sad as that is lol.
> 
> i love writing keith though, and the next chapter should be out sooner or later. probably later because i have more testing and 3 projects due in the next month BUT I'LL TRY I PROMISE! i love writing more than i thought i would so c: also sorry if i kind of suck at world building? but I tried a little lol.
> 
> i apologize for any mistakes, i didn't proof read. i was way too excited to post this.
> 
> ALSO THANKS FOR OVER 100 KUDOS Y'ALL ARE TOO SWEET (n˘v˘•)¬
> 
> as always, thanks for reading! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and some revelations.

                Keith doesn’t really think about it while he and Lance are walking to the dining hall, but this dinner’s going to be really awkward. Why is he even _invited_ to eat with them, anyway? Like, he knows Alteans are kinda stupid and overly friendly but he also knows the Princess would not hesitate to rip his head off, yet they let the prisoner who’s the son of their greatest enemy right now just come in and dine with the royal family.

 

                Sure, Keith’s innocent in a way or whatever, but it’s still weird. If the situation had been the other way around, Zarkon would have the prisoner executed in seconds. Or thrown in the rings to fight. Or enslaved to serve the Galran empire for the rest of their existence. But he sure wouldn’t allow them to casually have dinner in the Castle.

 

                Keith doesn’t bother to ask though because Lance would probably think he’s an idiot. To be fair, he probably thinks that already. Keith thinks the entire Altean race are a bunch of idiots so it doesn’t bother him too much.

 

                As they get closer to the dining hall, the sound of chatter and dishes gets louder and louder. Keith can smell the food and it smells like it did at the banquet, just not as grand. He absently wonders if the cake Lance let him try before will be there because that was one of the best things he’s ever had, and then he blushes and scuffs his foot against the flooring at the memory of Lance’s eyes and scent and-

 

                “Keith, are you okay?” Lance says. Keith snaps his eyes from the floor and onto Lance’s face. They’re only a corner away from the door of the dining hall. “You look constipated. Maybe you shouldn’t eat dinner after all.”

 

                Keith blinks. He’s unfamiliar with the word. It’s probably some Altean insult. “Excuse me?”

 

                Lance snorts. “Do you not know what being constipated is?”

 

                Keith stares.

 

                Lance just laughs and shakes his head. “Come on, they’ll run out of cake if we don’t hurry up.” Lance grabs Keith hand and pulls him along. Keith looks down, and for the first time he realizes that his claws are clipped. Well, shit.

 

                They round the corner and Lance drops his hand. The doors to the hall are open, revealing the inside. The tables are crowded, full of Alteans eating and talking. There’s lines waiting for food and people constantly bustling in and out of the kitchen. Keith even spots Hunk, the cook from earlier.

 

                They stand at the entrance for a while while Lance scans the room like he’s looking for someone. He frowns. “There’s usually more people than this.” He doesn’t elaborate, instead walking through the doors and Keith has to jog to keep up.

 

                They get to the lines, and when they notice the prince the crowds part. The part a little more when they notice Keith. Lance looks over his shoulder and winks. “Perks,” he says, grabbing plates and handing one to Keith. “Take whatever you want.”

 

                Lance doesn’t hesitate to load his plate with extravagant looking foods, as well as grabbing three different cups of three different drinks. Keith blanches because he has absolutely no idea what to eat. There’s so much food here and the only things Keith has had here is that cake and Nunville, and he guesses having Nunville would not be appropriate at just dinner. He eyes Lance’s plate and grabs some of the things Lance does, mostly simple foods that don’t look like they’re going to kill his digestive system. He grabs a random purple drink that’s almost the same shade as his fur.

 

                Keith follows Lance to a table when they’re done. Curious eyes follow Keith, but whenever he turns to meet them they turn away. The Alteans try to whisper, things like _do you think he’ll hurt us? is he a spy? will he kill the Prince and Princess too? why’d they let him out of the cell? I’d put him back in there. What’re the Royals thinking?_ and it’s really annoying because they must think Keith can’t hear them even as he twitches the gigantic ears on his head.

 

                They settle at a fairly empty table, but the only people sitting there end up getting up and moving away anyway. Keith’s mood sours.

 

                Lance notices and drops a piece of blue cake onto his plate. “I got the last piece, but you can have it.” Lance smiles at Keith.

 

                Keith turns away and stares at his plate. “Thanks,” he mumbles. Lance doesn’t reply and shoves a forkful of meat into his mouth. Keith starts to eat the cake and it’s just as amazing as he remembers it.

 

                He goes to take a sip of his drink. It smells fruity and sharp, and doesn’t look like it’s going to do any harm, so he dips his tongue in the cup when Lance isn’t looking to try it out. As soon as it hits his tongue, he recoils in disgust. It tastes like Lotor’s armpits, which Keith has the unfortunate knowledge of what they taste like. His tongue burns, and when he sticks it out to examine it he sees that’s it’s turned an unflattering shade of turquoise.

 

                He spits back into the cup and coughs, but when he checks his tongue it’s still blue. He turns to Lance, who’s staring at him with wide eyes. Keith points to his tongue and tries to talk, but it just comes out as “hubblub.”

 

                Lance starts to laugh so hard his face turns red and his eyes start to water. Keith keeps screaming, trying to scrub his tongue with a napkin. Every eye in the room has turned to watch the pair. Lance finally stops laughing to breathe and grabs Keith’s flailing hands.

 

                “Dude, chill out.” Lance says, and grabs one of his cups and hands it to Keith. “Try this. It helps.”

 

                Keith immediately knocks back the cup of thick, gray liquid and cringes. It feels like eating a shirt but with the taste of rock. His tongue has stopped burning though, and it’s returned back to its normal. He shoves the cup of purple hell away from him and glares at Lance.

 

                “What was that?” He breathes, and Lance laughs again. The other Alteans have finally turned away, going back to their conversations.

 

                “Kloros, it’s supposed to turn your tongue neon blue for celebrations and stuff.” Lance explains. “Why’d you even grab it?” Lance examines the cup for a moment, smirking when Keith doesn’t answer. “Is it because it’s purple?”

 

                “No!” Keith snaps, and shoves something in his mouth to avoid talking. Lance laughs and his leg presses against Keith’s. Keith tries not to choke.

 

                Hunk joins them along with Pidge, the weird girl they met in the supply closet. She’s no longer covered in oil and her wild hair has been somewhat tamed and pulled back. They both have their plates filled like Lance. Alteans must have like, three stomachs or something.

 

                They greet Lance and Keith, and Lance immediately proceeds to tell them about Keith’s freak out. They both laugh and Keith heats up in embarrassment, stabbing a thick slab of _something_ on his plate.

 

                They all talk, chatting about random things. Pidge’s projects, Hunk’s new recipes, Lance’s latest skincare routine. They tiptoe around heavy stuff, like the King, the coronation, and the war. They include Keith anyway, sharing some embarrassing stories about Lance who yells in protest.

 

                Keith notes that they’re not very formal here. Back home, the royals have their own table on the second floor away from the castle attendants. They have to address each other by rank and name. Keith barely even looked at the servants, much less talked to them.

 

                It’s different on Altea. It’s not so bad, he allows himself to think. He eyes Pidge and Hunk, who are laughing between bites of food.  Then he looks at Lance, who’s blue eyes are wide with emotion and hands moving  animatedly as he describes some story. Lance notices Keith and stops talking for a moment to turn and smile at him. Keith smiles back a little.

 

                Keith kind of likes Altea. Kind of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT DEAD
> 
> sorry i ghosted for like...two months. i've not been feeling well v.v but i'm struggling through summer so I can watch season three of voltron (yes that's the only thing that's motivating me don't judge)
> 
> i also should be writing my other fic but i've also decided to start another fic (just for me to not write for like 3 months durdur) but!! sorry this chapter is so short I'll probably write more and post very soon so I can make up for lost time. im sorry ;-;  
> the only social media I have is instagram so follow me there @laidellennt  
> as always, feel free to point out any mistakes and thanks for reading! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance meets the Blue lion.

By the time dinner is over, the sun has dipped beneath the mountainous skyline and the sky is covered in brilliant oranges, reds, and pinks, bathing the land in a warm glow. The clouds have sunk lower and touch the peaks of the mountains and leave the sky clear for Keith to marvel at. Lance and Keith are in the observatory, just as Lance promised, watching the day sky slowly change into the night.

 

                They’re sat on a bench facing where the sun is setting while Lance points out different things in the landscape. “We have five moons,” Lance says. “I’ve been to three of them. You’ll probably be able to see them.”

 

                “That’s...amazing.” Keith says. Zarkon blew up every moon near Keith’s home planet for materials and so no enemies could stake out on them.

 

                “Not really,” Lance says. “I like Altea a lot better.” It’s quiet for a moment and Keith turns to watch Lance’s face. It’s orange in the light and Keith eyes the bags under his eyes. Lance turns to look at him and sends him a bright smile and it’s brighter than any star Keith’s seen. Lance grabs his arm and points out the window and Keith struggles to move his eyes away from his face.

 

                Keith follows Lance’s finger. “This is the best part,” he says. Keith is confused, because everything look just the same as it did 10 seconds ago. Suddenly, the sky seems to explode navy and purple. The deep colors take over the warm oranges and paint the skies the colors of the galaxy. Millions of stars twinkle into existence. Constellations become visible and the observatory glass lights up and traces them with a neon blue light. 5 spheres appear, which Keith guesses are the moons. One’s a bright white, another soft pink, bright blue, yellow, and red.

 

                As Keith sits in wonder, it dawns upon him that he’s actually never seen a sunset. The observatory is dark for a few moments before soft lights automatically switch on. Keith blinks and closes his mouth. “That was...”

 

                “Amazing? Beautiful? Sublime?” Lance supplies. Keith looks at him and he’s smiling. “The best thing you’ve ever seen?”

 

                “Yeah, all of the above.” Keith breathes. “I’ve never seen a sunset before.”

 

                Lance’s mouth drops and his eyes bug. “What?!”

 

                Keith turns away sheepishly. “My planet is the same color all the time and it’s too cold to go outside. I’m never on another planet long enough to see it’s sunset either.” Keith looks up at ceiling and traces the outline of constellations. Keith pretends not to notice how Lance leans a little closer to him.

 

                It’s quiet for a moment for Lance whispers, “Beautiful.” Keith turns to him. Lance blushes and stutters, rubbing his neck. “I mean, uh- the view. It’s uh, beautiful. Right?”

 

                Keith smiles. “Yeah, it is.”

 

                They stare at each other a beat longer before someone enters the observatory and Lance shoots off to other side of the bench and clears his throat. They turn to look and it’s someone Keith doesn’t recognize.

 

                “Sorry, but Allura sent me to tell you that Keith has to go back to his cell.” He says. He has wild brown hair and hazel eyes obscured by glasses. His markings are a similar shade of green to Pidge’s.

 

                Lance sighs but nods anyway. The man leaves and they stand up. “I’m sorry,” Lance says.

 

                “It’s not your fault,” Keith promises, even though it does suck.

 

                Together, they walk down the dim halls back to the cells in silence. “That was Matt, by the way. Pidge’s brother. He’s the head technician.” Lance explains. Before Keith has the chance to respond, they’re at the door to cells and two guards are staring at them expectantly.

 

                Lance turns to Keith. “Uh, goodnight I guess. I’m sorry you gotta sleep in the cells, but...”

 

                “Lance, it’s fine, seriously.” Keith says. He looks at the floor. “Goodnight.”

 

                Lance smiles and turns around. “See you tomorrow!”

 

                “Right,” Keith whispers, and allows the guards to guide him back to his cell.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

 

                As Keith is sitting on the cold, hard bed and staring at the blank ceiling, he realizes something with a heavy beating heart, sweaty palms, and the image of Lance’s smile stuck in his mind.

 

                Lance is _nothing_ like Shiro.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

                Lance wakes up to the sound of a heavy knocking on his door. He groans because he was having  a _really_ nice dream about black hair and yellow eyes. He throws his covers off with a huff and pulls his sleep mask off. It’s still dark, and a glance at the clock tells him the sun is nowhere close to rising yet.

 

                He shuffles into his slippers and trudges over to the door. _This better be good_ , he growls. He swipes his hand over the sensor and the door unlocks, revealing a tired Pidge and Rover. He drags a hand down his face. “Every time you show up at my door it’s never good.”

 

                “Allura’s requested a meeting,” is all she says, tapping her foot while she waits for Lance to get ready.

 

                “Is telling her to shove it an option?” Lance says, running a hand through his hair. It’s _way_ too early for a meeting, his mind can barely function. Pidge just glares at him so he turns around and gets dressed. They start walking with Rover leading the way. They pass through several sets of heavily guarded doors. As they keep walking, Lance realizes he has no idea where he is. He asks Pidge, who calls to Rover. They stop and the robot’s eyes projects a holographic map of the castle. Their location is marked in two green orbs. It looks like they’re walking towards...

 

                “Are those the hangars Allura found yesterday?”

 

                Pidge nods and Lance sighs. The map falls and Rover continues on, the pair following it. Their footsteps empty through the empty halls. Lance thinks back to the time when he was younger and Allura had convinced him the castle was haunted. He was so terrified that after a month his father got fed up and hired ‘professional ghost hunters’ to give Lance peace of mind. Allura still teases him about it, but it’s times like these where he’s not so sure those exorcists did their job.

 

                They finally come up to a set of large, metals doors. Pidge stops. “King Alfor programmed it so only his, Coran’s, and his children’s prints could unlock the doors.”

 

                Lance looks at the scanner next to him and takes a deep  breath. “Have you been in there?”

 

                Pidge nods. “You might want to  prepare yourself a bit.”

 

                Lance isn’t really sure how he’s going to prepare himself to finally see the secret project his father’s hid from him for years, the secret project that led to his father’s death and the potential start of a war between  two of the strongest empires in the galaxy. 

 

                “I’m  ready,” he says, digging his nails into his palms. Pidge gestures to the scanner  and Lance swipes his hand over it.  The scanner clicks and the doors slide open.

 

                First, Lance notices Allura, Coran, Hunk, and Matt standing in the middle of the giant room. And then he notices the giant room. It’s gray with blue lights carving designs into the floor and pillars that surround a giant, blue, robotic animal on a pedestal in the middle of the room.

 

                And then Lance _notices_ the giant, blue, robotic animal. “Sweet quiznack,” he murmurs. He and Pidge make their way over to the others.

 

                Allura greets them first.  “Lance, Pidge, glad you can join us.” She looks at Lance with an unreadable expression on her face.  He raises an eyebrow but she ignores it and turns to address the group. “I’m sorry to disturb your rest, but I’m afraid this cannot wait. Matt had detected high levels of quintessence coming from the Blue Lion,” she gestures to the machine behind her. “and Coran believes that she may be waking up.”

 

                Coran continues to explain. “Quintessence is an extremely powerful energy and along with some other...experiments, should I say, that the King has preformed, the lions are, in a sense, _alive_. Each lion, 5 in total, are meant to be piloted and serve as a defensive weapon to protect Altea.  They can’t be piloted by just anyway; they have to form a bond with their pilot, and each lion bonds with different personalities.” He guides the group to the lion’s paw as he explains. “The Blue lion is the friendliest and can accept almost any Paladin.” Coran twirls his mustache. “The only problem is that the lions are still, well, prototypes and haven’t been tested. King Alfor was able to get into the cockpit, but they haven’t been flown. I think Blue here is about ready to find her pilot, though.”

 

                “So, what do we have to do with it?” Hunk says, eyeing one of the metal toes. “You’re not expecting us to try, right?”

 

                “I’ve brought you all in particular because you are the most trusted in this  kingdom.” Allura says. She taps her nails on her thigh. “And, I was also hoping one of you could also try to fly the Blue lion.”

 

                “Great,” Hunk mutters, rubbing his eyes.

 

                “We’re in a war with the Galra, whether we like it or not, and we need a way to defend ourselves without bringing harm to Altea. Right now, our best choice are the lions.” Allura explains. “I’m afraid I cannot pilot one. My coronation is tomorrow and it would not be proper for me to be on the battlefield. I will assume Father’s place as a commander, but...”

 

                Allura trails off because everyone in the room understands. Except Lance, because _why the heck does Allura get off and not him? He’s the prince, isn’t he?!_ but he keeps it to himself. He eyes the lion’s dead, grey eyes, and suddenly he feels like he’s not in his body.

 

                His vision becomes a worm hole, and he can faintly feel himself fall but his limbs are heavy and his mind is syrupy. Light flashes across his eyes and makes him dizzy. He’s sitting down now, in a cool metal chair with his hands resting against controls. His vision fades in and he’s in a cockpit, staring through a windshield into the dark of space. It fades out, and now he’s  standing alone in front of the lion. Her eyes are yellow, staring into Lance’s.

        

                _Lance,_ a voice whispers. It becomes indecipherable after that, phrases and words become one and wrap his mind. Lance somehow knows it’s the Blue lion though, and he knows that she’s calling to him.

 

                The scene changes again, and this time he sees five bolts of color shoot through the sky and merge as one to form one. A roar vibrates his skull, and suddenly he’s back to reality. He feels the floor against his back and a hand cradling his head. He blinks open his eyes to find Allura’s eyes drilling into his. Her mouth is moving, but Lance’s ears are ringing and he can’t hear.

 

                Finally, after feeling like he’s coming up out of the water, the fog in his head clears and he hears the concerned voices of those around him.

 

                “Lance? Are you okay?” Allura asks, stroking his hair.

 

                Lance nods and Allura helps him stand. Lance balls his fist to stop his hands from shaking. He breathes in and says, “I think I have to pilot the Blue lion.”

               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S THIS? another upload in record time???!?!?!
> 
> not to toot my own horn or anything, but expect another one soon (⌐■_■) i'm feeling good about writing now lol
> 
> also, the plot it gittin' gud. the story might wrap up in a few more chapters, but knowing me, i'll probably split what SHOULD be like 2 chapters into like a 10 so lol my pacing sucks sorry ;v;
> 
> THANKS FOR 200 KUDOS BTW ✿*∗˵╰༼✪ᗜ✪༽╯˵∗*✿
> 
> feel free to point out any mistakes, and thank you for reading! ヽ(”`▽´)ﾉ (also have you noticed that i've discovered these REALLY cute emojis?)


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